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Did you know that your toddler is learning fundamental language skills well before they even say their first word? There’s a lot that goes into speech and language development – here we’ve compiled a list of 11 ‘pre-verbal’ skills that children develop before they start talking:
| No | Pre-verbal Skill | What it Looks Like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reacting to events in the environment | Consistently reacting to things he/she sees, hears or feels |
| 2 | Responding to other people | Enjoying being around people, and responding to them when they are talking or playing with them |
| 3 | Taking turns during interactions | Participating in back-and-forth exchanges |
| 4 | Developing a longer attention span | Staying on one activity for at least 5 minutes by themselves (even longer with adults) |
| 5 | Shifting and sharing attention | Sharing focus with another person, and shifting attention between them and an object |
| 6 | Playing appropriately with a variety of toys | Playing well with many different toys, and using familiar objects in everyday routines |
| 7 | Understanding early words and instructions | Listening and following a variety of simple requests |
| 8 | Making meaningful sounds | Using his or her voice to get your attention (even though they are not real words) |
| 9 | Imitating actions, gestures, sounds and words | Copying what he or she sees other people do and say |
| 10 | Using early gestures | Communicating nonverbally through pointing, waving, etc. |
| 11 | Initiating interactions with others | Deliberately attempting to get an adult’s attention to play, or express needs and wants |
You may be surprised to find that in your child’s first few early language sessions, their speech pathologist is seemingly not focusing on their words at all! That is because these pre-verbal skills form the building blocks for the important social, cognitive and linguistic abilities that underpin successful communication. After all, how can we expect a child to have a conversation if they do not yet initiate interactions or understand turn-taking exchanges?
If a child’s development in one or several of these domains is delayed, a language delay is also likely. Early intervention is extremely beneficial for these children – contact a speech language pathologist from Eastside Speech at 02 9398 3020 if you are concerned about your child’s pre-verbal skills or early language development.
Click here to find more information about our Speech Therapy for Toddlers.
References:
Let’s Talk About Talking at teachmetotalk.com ©Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP
Eastside Speech is a vibrant private speech therapy practice centrally located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.
Operating since 2001, our team of dedicated speech pathologists are passionate about helping the world to communicate better.
The practice is an approved NDIS service provider. We are registered with Medicare and are able to see clients using the Chronic Disease Management referral scheme. All our therapists are PROMPT trained.
